Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-10-08

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In many countries, people do not recycle their rubbish as much as they could.

Why do you think this is? What can be done to change this?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

In various countries, people do not recycle their trash as much as they could.

Overall, many people do not recycle their useage in many nations because they believe that it's contaminated and it is unhealthy in health, on the other hands, government should enlight the general publics the important of reclaim their bin.

Furthermore, in many countries, people believe that rubbish is one of the major cause of diseases in our enviroment, so they see no reason to recycle it. Another reason why people don't used to recycle as they could do is development. Many people now have a waste bin close to their home where they deposit their trash immediately after been used. For example, here in Nigeria, all the estates have a dust bin where they keep their trash after using, which ANSEPA used to carry every morning.

Moreover, to change this trend, government should make a law that will be guiding the country and also introduce a fine to defaulters. Also, the can equally set-up a team that will be overseeing/ monitoring the situation. For eample, Federal government of Nigerian passed a bill in 2024 that any household that fail to recycle their rubbish could face jail sentence or option to pay a fine of £ 50. However, families should also prioritise recycling in their various home so that our enviroment should be tidy.

In conclusion, people hardly recycle their rubbish as they could because many peope believe that once they trash any products that it is no longer healthy, moreover, government and citizens should take recycling serious so that our enviroments should be clean.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses both parts of the question: it suggests that people associate rubbish with contamination and disease, and proposes government rules, fines, monitoring, and household responsibility. The Nigeria example gives the discussion some specific support. However, some ideas are less fully explained than others. For instance, the claim that convenient bins discourage recycling is not clearly connected to why people choose not to separate recyclable materials, and the proposed jail sentence or fine is presented without explaining how this would encourage recycling in practice. The conclusion restates the main points but does not add much. To strengthen the response, explain the causes more precisely and show how each proposed measure would change people’s behaviour.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an opening, a paragraph on reasons, a paragraph on solutions, and a conclusion. This helps the reader follow the broad direction of the answer. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear, and linking expressions can feel mechanical. For example, “Furthermore,” “Moreover,” and “However” introduce points without always showing the exact relationship between them; “However” does not clearly signal a contrast in the final paragraph. Some references are also difficult to follow, such as “it” in the explanation about rubbish and health. Organise each body paragraph around one clear main idea, then explain and illustrate it before moving on. Use linking words only when their logical relationship is clear.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “contaminated,” “recycle,” “monitoring,” and “fine,” and it attempts some less common expressions. However, the range and control are limited by repeated or inaccurate word choices and spelling errors. Phrases such as “recycle their useage,” “unhealthy in health,” and “reclaim their bin” do not express the intended ideas naturally, while “enviroment” and “eample” are misspelled. “General publics” and “major cause of diseases” are also awkward in context. These choices sometimes make the reader work to understand the point. Build a bank of accurate topic collocations, such as “sort household waste,” “recycling facilities,” and “public awareness,” and check spelling and word forms carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts both simple and more complex sentences, including clauses introduced by “because,” “where,” and “so that.” This shows an effort to vary sentence structure, and the main message is generally recoverable. However, control is inconsistent, particularly in verb forms, agreement, and sentence construction. Examples include “people don't used to recycle,” “after been used,” and “any household that fail”; these should use forms such as “do not,” “after it has been used,” and “any household that fails.” The opening overview also joins several ideas in a sentence that is difficult to control. Practise building accurate sentences with one main clause and a clearly formed subordinate clause, then check subject–verb agreement and verb forms.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.